Abstract
Namibia is one of five countries in sub-Saharan Africa that has a fuel tax levy designed to support road injury victims. This study examines how the scheme operates from the perspective of seriously injured or permanently disabled beneficiaries. Using qualitative methods, we conducted semi-structured interviews with RTI survivors in Namibia, and healthcare workers involved in caring for them, in order to investigate the role played by the MVAF. While some wealthier drivers continue to buy private insurance, most Namibians now rely on the MVAF. The analysis show the MVAF is effectively helping to enhance access to rehabilitation and other health services for RTI survivors. There however exist some weaknesses in the system which can be addressed. It is hoped these findings will contribute to discussions about whether the current system is fit for purpose and could serve as a replicable model in other low and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Ethics
This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical approval was obtained from both the University College London Ethics Committee (No: 7417/001) and the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Namibia (No. 17/3/3).
Consent to participate
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Availability of data and materials
The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the (Chatukuta: 2019, UCL depository).
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This research was part of a privately funded PhD.
Authors' contributions
MC conducted and analysed the qualitative data and was the main author in writing the manuscript. NG, JSM and MK all contributed to writing up and editing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.